Facebook… or Social Media, to take a broader classification. While this article is focused on Facebook, it will also deal with overall Social Media and its risks and advantages in a more general manner. The immediate trigger for this article has been a rather uncomfortable article in some Media, which I happened to read in a very respected Pink Newspaper, a leading daily. The Bloomberg link of that article is to be found in the below Box, with the given link.
Zuckerberg’s social network is a politically agnostic tool for its more than 2 billion users, he has said. But Facebook, it turns out, is no bystander in global politics. What he hasn’t said is that his company actively works with political parties and leaders including those who use the platform to stifle opposition—sometimes with the aid of “troll armies” that spread misinformation and extremist ideologies.
The initiative is run by a little-known Facebook global government and politics team that’s neutral in that it works with nearly anyone seeking or securing power. The unit is led from Washington by Katie Harbath, a former Republican digital strategist who worked on former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign. Since Facebook hired Harbath three years later, her team has traveled the globe helping political clients use the company’s powerful digital tools.
How Facebook’s Political Unit Enables the Dark Art of Digital Propaganda
EXAMPLESThe article goes on into some more ucomfortable titbits, detailing Online campaigns on Politics / Elections where apparently Facebook unit helped develop campaigns of Trump, Narendra Modi, Rodrigo Duerte {Philippines} and most disturbingly the AfD – an anti-immigration party in Germany – and many many other political examples, the general trend from which is apparent insofaras the article above is concerned. Let us not go into the right or left wing aspects; that is not relevant to me as of now. The point is the clear overt alliance of an organization with political parties, and its broader ramifications. ,
THE CONTENTION ANALYSEDThe contention that all organisations donate to and ally with Political Parties does not apply to Media in general. Already we are seeing what I call alliances or tilt of Media outlets towards one or the other wing; judging from public responses and my personal judgement. The new age Medium, Social Media, had the answer to this trend, where we could be relatively independent of these pulls and pressures, and could be harnessed in a positive manner. Wishful thinking, as it turns out. For a Media house so invasive and so ubiquitous as Facebook, an arms-length distance from such activities was warranted.
2014That does not seem to be the case. If I cast my eye at the 2014 election, I do remember clear tagging of one political party on Facebook with various themes, at times unrelated themes, far in excess of other parties. Now this could be that one party is more savvy, that I grant; which is just fine. It is not so fine if one organization prefers one side to another. Facebook should come clean on this – does it give equal weightage to all sides? To be fair, the company does claim that : “The company says it offers the same tools and services to all candidates and governments regardless of political affiliation, and even to civil society groups that may have a lesser voice.”
POLITICAL PARTIES AND SOCIAL MEDIAThe article confirms my impression, and goes deeper, showing how political parties use Social Media to drive an agenda. That is frankly disturbing. What is even more disturbing is the US example wherein Facebook teams were in close coordination with one specific side as per the given article. This is also a claim I have read before, in another article. “In the U.S., the unit embedded employees in Trump’s campaign. (Hillary Clinton’s camp declined a similar offer.)”. In India, worryingly, “the company helped develop the online presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”
CARRYING IT TOO FARNow there is a difference between providing space to Political Parties – which is welcome; we normal citizens do need to engage in dialogue with Political Parties; that is democracy – and embedding employees in campaigns. That is carrying it too far. We have no knowledge of whether the Congress was approached in India; I can assume it was, and it also refused. But be that as it may, should a Media house be so integrally involved in Political Campaigns? Sure – let parties engage; but please keep an arms’ length distance from them.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND BUSINESSOn a broader Social Media question, it is apparent that now all parties are getting more active in engaging on Political Media. All Social Media players are recommended to protect the fairness and equality of social media by being equidistant from them. If the article quoted does not give the complete picture, I would love to read how Facebook and other Social Media are being equidistant. Basis what I have read in this and some previous articles, this does not appear to be the case. And most pertinently, why aren’t organisations equally active on Social Media, and engaging with customers? Why is that a rarity? Can anyone point me to a cheaper way to getting in direct touch with consumers?
THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
For that is the power of Social Media – its fairness potential, the potential of allowing everyone big or small an equal chance to get spotted. Even an unknown can, through quality posting, strategic & focused effort and perseverance get noticed. We need to protect that – this will ensure seamless information dissemination and fair chance to all sides. And from a business perspective, for both Social Media as well as for companies, this is a standing lesson. There is a much bigger market there, Facebook – get brands to engage customers properly. And Brands would do well by stepping up customer as well as consumer engagement on Social Media through a focused strategic approach; not the sidelined also-there strategies that are in common usage today in Corporate India. That is what the next part of my social media series is all about – leveraging SM for a proper consumer dialogue…
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ffxzG Original link
Zuckerberg’s social network is a politically agnostic tool for its more than 2 billion users, he has said. But Facebook, it turns out, is no bystander in global politics. What he hasn’t said is that his company actively works with political parties and leaders including those who use the platform to stifle opposition—sometimes with the aid of “troll armies” that spread misinformation and extremist ideologies.
The initiative is run by a little-known Facebook global government and politics team that’s neutral in that it works with nearly anyone seeking or securing power. The unit is led from Washington by Katie Harbath, a former Republican digital strategist who worked on former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign. Since Facebook hired Harbath three years later, her team has traveled the globe helping political clients use the company’s powerful digital tools.
How Facebook’s Political Unit Enables the Dark Art of Digital Propaganda
EXAMPLESThe article goes on into some more ucomfortable titbits, detailing Online campaigns on Politics / Elections where apparently Facebook unit helped develop campaigns of Trump, Narendra Modi, Rodrigo Duerte {Philippines} and most disturbingly the AfD – an anti-immigration party in Germany – and many many other political examples, the general trend from which is apparent insofaras the article above is concerned. Let us not go into the right or left wing aspects; that is not relevant to me as of now. The point is the clear overt alliance of an organization with political parties, and its broader ramifications. ,
THE CONTENTION ANALYSEDThe contention that all organisations donate to and ally with Political Parties does not apply to Media in general. Already we are seeing what I call alliances or tilt of Media outlets towards one or the other wing; judging from public responses and my personal judgement. The new age Medium, Social Media, had the answer to this trend, where we could be relatively independent of these pulls and pressures, and could be harnessed in a positive manner. Wishful thinking, as it turns out. For a Media house so invasive and so ubiquitous as Facebook, an arms-length distance from such activities was warranted.
2014That does not seem to be the case. If I cast my eye at the 2014 election, I do remember clear tagging of one political party on Facebook with various themes, at times unrelated themes, far in excess of other parties. Now this could be that one party is more savvy, that I grant; which is just fine. It is not so fine if one organization prefers one side to another. Facebook should come clean on this – does it give equal weightage to all sides? To be fair, the company does claim that : “The company says it offers the same tools and services to all candidates and governments regardless of political affiliation, and even to civil society groups that may have a lesser voice.”
POLITICAL PARTIES AND SOCIAL MEDIAThe article confirms my impression, and goes deeper, showing how political parties use Social Media to drive an agenda. That is frankly disturbing. What is even more disturbing is the US example wherein Facebook teams were in close coordination with one specific side as per the given article. This is also a claim I have read before, in another article. “In the U.S., the unit embedded employees in Trump’s campaign. (Hillary Clinton’s camp declined a similar offer.)”. In India, worryingly, “the company helped develop the online presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”
CARRYING IT TOO FARNow there is a difference between providing space to Political Parties – which is welcome; we normal citizens do need to engage in dialogue with Political Parties; that is democracy – and embedding employees in campaigns. That is carrying it too far. We have no knowledge of whether the Congress was approached in India; I can assume it was, and it also refused. But be that as it may, should a Media house be so integrally involved in Political Campaigns? Sure – let parties engage; but please keep an arms’ length distance from them.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND BUSINESSOn a broader Social Media question, it is apparent that now all parties are getting more active in engaging on Political Media. All Social Media players are recommended to protect the fairness and equality of social media by being equidistant from them. If the article quoted does not give the complete picture, I would love to read how Facebook and other Social Media are being equidistant. Basis what I have read in this and some previous articles, this does not appear to be the case. And most pertinently, why aren’t organisations equally active on Social Media, and engaging with customers? Why is that a rarity? Can anyone point me to a cheaper way to getting in direct touch with consumers?
THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
For that is the power of Social Media – its fairness potential, the potential of allowing everyone big or small an equal chance to get spotted. Even an unknown can, through quality posting, strategic & focused effort and perseverance get noticed. We need to protect that – this will ensure seamless information dissemination and fair chance to all sides. And from a business perspective, for both Social Media as well as for companies, this is a standing lesson. There is a much bigger market there, Facebook – get brands to engage customers properly. And Brands would do well by stepping up customer as well as consumer engagement on Social Media through a focused strategic approach; not the sidelined also-there strategies that are in common usage today in Corporate India. That is what the next part of my social media series is all about – leveraging SM for a proper consumer dialogue…
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ffxzG Original link
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